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Topic: Education

Kurdish in exile

An estimated 800,000 Kurds from various countries live in Germany. Keeping up their mother tongue has proved difficult. Ceyda Nurtsch on the efforts to maintain Kurdish language and literature in the German diaspora, and pass them on to future generationsMore

Raising awareness about Salafism in German schools

What is the appropriate way to inform young Muslims in schools about the dangers of Salafism? In co-operation with the Hamburg University of Applied Sciences, the association ufuq.de provides teaching materials on Islam, Islamophobia, Islamism and democracy. Gotz Nordbruch provides a personal account of preventive work in this fieldMore

Interview with the Islam scholar Lamya Kaddor

In her new book "Zum Töten bereit. Warum deutsche Jugendliche in den Dschihad ziehen" (Willing to kill. Why German youths are joining the jihad), religious education teacher and scholar of Islam Lamya Kaddor asks why some young Germans are attracted to the jihadi cause. Claudia Mende spoke to her about the radicalisation of young GermansMore

Taliban attacks on schools in Pakistan

On 16 December 2014, a group of Pakistan Taliban militants entered the auditorium and classrooms of the Army Public School in Peshawar and opened fire, killing over 140 people. The attack outraged the world and triggered a debate about the Taliban threat to schools in the country. Sadly, this school attack was no isolated incident: since 2007, more than 1,000 schools have been attacked or destroyed. By Kiran Nazish in Peshawar and SwatMore

Morocco's social gulf

Travel guidebooks and tourist agencies are fond of using flowery language to sell Morocco as a holiday destination, describing it as a "nation of contrasts". In view of the omnipresent social disparities that define Moroccan society, this is actually a very accurate description. By Susanne Kaiser in CasablancaMore

Protest and culture in Palestine

A recent study by the Arab Studies expert David Kreuer indicates that young Palestinians do not view engaging in armed struggle as the first option when it comes to putting up resistance to Israel. By Joseph CroitoruMore

The Trojan Horse scandal in the UK

Claims that Islamists were trying to Islamise secular state schools in Birmingham rocked the British education system to the core earlier this year. Extremist views in the classroom are a sensitive topic at a time when Britain is concerned about its citizens' reported involvement in jihadist activities in Syria and Iraq. Was there really an Islamist conspiracy? Was the whole thing blown out of proportion? And if so, what will be the consequences? Opinions differ. By Qurratulain ZamanMore

The Arabic language

Arabic is spoken in 22 countries, but people from different countries don't necessarily understand each other. The language is split up into numerous dialects, some of which are mutually unintelligible. The Arab spring went a long way towards unifying the way Arabic is used in everyday life. Translators are working on an online dictionary to help standardise the language for business purposes. By Charlotte Schmitz and Guido ZebischMore

The Trojan Horse scandal in the UK

Are some British Islamists involved in a conspiracy to infiltrate, control and Islamise secular state schools with a high proportion of Muslim pupils, thereby discouraging integration and possibly encouraging extremism? This is the nub of the Trojan Horse scandal that has rocked Britain in recent weeks. Prime Minister David Cameron has responded by calling for "British values" to be promoted at schools. By Susannah TarbushMore

Interview with the Syrian artist Diala Brisly

Civil war has ravaged Syria and many of its ancient cultural treasures. Syrian artist Diala Brisly, who left Syria about a year ago and now lives and works in Istanbul, says that although very few artists are still working in Syria, the country's art scene is flourishing abroad. Interview by Susanne DicklMore

The University of Tehran

As president of the University of Tehran, Farhad Rahbar made many enemies with his hard-line approach. His successor, Mohammad Hossein Omid, who started work in February, is seen as the great "hope" for the nation's most famous university. By Massoud SchiraziMore

Syrian refugee children

In the Jordanian village of Manshia, a German NGO has set up a kindergarten for traumatised Syrian refugee children. Here, they can leave their horrible past behind and learn how to be children again. Laura Overmeyer visited the kindergartenMore

The Turkish language in Germany

An increasing number of young people in Germany are taking Turkish at school. The German–Turkish Year of Science hopes to further boost this trend. At present, only native speakers can take the subject at schools, but this is about to change. By Andrea GroßMore

Attitudes to immigration in Germany

What do people in Germany really think about immigration? A recent study by the Berlin Social Science Center (WZB) shows that there are definite differences of opinion between the country's elite and the general public. Shohreh Karimian discussed the findings with Marc Helbling, one of the authors of the studyMore

Andrea Hirata's novel "The Rainbow Troops"

Andrea Hirata's novel "The Rainbow Troops" is the first Indonesian novel to become an international bestseller. Interestingly, the version available outside Indonesia is very different to the one familiar to Indonesian readers. Bettina David explores whyMore

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Most Recent Photo Essay

Nowruz is one of the oldest celebrations in the world. It has been a fixture on the cultural calendar in many regions for more than 2,500 years. It marks the beginning of spring and also the change of seasons in the Iranian solar calendar. Sharam Ahad offers his impressions of the celebrations.